Coues Deer Hunting in Arizona Latest Topicshttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/forum/8-coues-deer-hunting-in-arizona/Coues Deer Hunting in Arizona Latest TopicsenApproaching Sky-Island Late OTC with time, physicality, and western bowhunting experience but none of it with Coues Deerhttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/85549-approaching-sky-island-late-otc-with-time-physicality-and-western-bowhunting-experience-but-none-of-it-with-coues-deer/
Hey everyone! This is my first post in this forum, but I've really appreciated being able to read all the historical posts in here. Truly a wealth of knowledge amongst all the members. I’m new to Coues, but with experience, I’ll be sure to re-pay with my own contributions.

I think my extended schedule will leave me free and clear to spend the whole month of January in Arizona with the otc archery tag in my pocket. This hunt might be my last of the upcoming year, but I'm already exciting for it.

After researching, a few questions have formed in my mind:

1. Biggest things that a novice to Coues and sky-islands ecosystems but otherwise a decently experienced bowhunter and backpacker would benefit from knowing.
2. Recommendations for structuring where/how a person with an otc tag and all the time free should spending time over the duration of the month. Pick one area and go deep down the single well with it and know each blade of grass? Cover country then dig in to a place I like only after having seen more? Find a few strong doe groups and move on to find more others, building up a database to check back for bucks later in the month? Just pick the places that look like fun to backpack into and spend 4-5 days, then move from plan A – F like so? Zoomed out strategy stuff like that. Or, how would you approach the full hunt if you had all the time free and a strong backpacking ability?
3. Thoughts on how to mentally and physically approach stalking Coues deer during the rut.
4. Glassing and optics tips - I currently use 8x42 Vortex Diamondback and a Vanguard Endeavor 15-45x65 spotter with SLIK Sprint Pro II – currently have a ball head, I’m looking to get a lightweight fluid head for filming. If I don't upgrade the binos before then, on 1 to 10 scale, how badly will I wish I had?

]]>85549Fri, 19 Apr 2019 21:09:49 +0000First timer questionshttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/85792-first-timer-questions/
I came across this site while searching the interweb for information on Arizona Coues deer hunting. I plan on making my first trip out there in January for OTC archery hunting, likely a solo trip unless I make a friend or two before then. I'll be spending the rest of the year acquiring all of the gear and deciding on a unit to hunt, but my main area of concern is finding a place to stay. Ideally, I would just sleep in the truck or in a tent, but I'm wondering about safety. Should I avoid tent camping near the border, or is it generally safe? Also if anyone recommends a campground or somewhere to rent a place, any help is much appreciated.
]]>85792Mon, 06 May 2019 02:22:27 +0000First timehttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/85468-first-time/
Not sure if I’m posting this in the wrong place or not. I tried searching but couldn’t really find anything. I want to get into big game hunting and have no experience. Two years ago I started going dove and quail hunting and last October bought my first rifle I’ve been going shooting as often as possible. However I just don’t know where to start when it comes to big game. If anyone could point me in the correct direction it would be much appreciated.
]]>85468Sun, 14 Apr 2019 02:39:32 +0000Two for two on AZ Coues, including my first- Perfect end to a great seasonhttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83232-two-for-two-on-az-coues-including-my-first-perfect-end-to-a-great-season/
Bit of a long story on this belated hunt report from the beginning of November, read at your own peril. I thought of trying to trim it down, but that wouldn't do justice to what this deer and this hunt mean to me. If you want to skip the soliloquoy and get to the coues hunting report, go to the first bolded section. Or skip to the second bolded section for the titular story.

My first taste of big game hunting was with my grandfather and uncles, going down south to the border of Arizona and Mexico each year to chase coues deer. I started going long before I could actually hunt them myself, but it was more than hunting- riding around in our family jeep with my grandfather, waiting anxiously for steak night and his handmade dutch oven cobbler. It was a time of year I looked forward to more than anything, gathering with friends and family and enjoying the outdoors. My grandfather was an amazing man, and he taught me a lot during those times in the deer woods, lessons that would continue to ring true and help me in my life for years to come. Among those was the simple truth that hunting wasn't about a kill- it was about time spent with family in the outdoors, away from the stresses of everyday life. It was a lesson I wholeheartedly believed in, and one of the reasons I prioritized our yearly deer hunting trips despite the fact that my hunting partner, my uncle took a more billy goat approach to hunting coues- moving around a lot, glassing little, and trying to kick something up. I didn't mind this approach, despite knowing it would have been beneficial to let our eyes do the walking- these trips were about family, and killing a deer was secondary to that.

Over the next decade I diversified my hunting exploits, chasing elk and archery hunting deer. As I grew older and could drive, I augmented family trips with extra days in the field chasing coues by myself. During these times I tried to hone my hunting skills, with some success- I found and shot at two good bucks during two different seasons, missing both- the first due to user error estimating range, the other due to unfortunate equipment failure. One could say I had a tumultuous start to my hunting career- I also dealt with multiple bad circumstances that led to me failing to recover two elk over three years that I had hit. Each mistake and circumstance was a valuable lesson, but I might have given up or been driven crazy if I hadn't been able to talk to my grandfather about each one and remember that hunting wasn't about a kill.

Fast forward a decade from my initial experiences hunting coues, and a lot has changed. I live in Colorado now, and work full time as a nurse in a level 1 trauma center ICU. It's a stressful, but incredibly rewarding job, and one of the perks is it affords me the opportunity to hunt and enjoy the outdoors now more than ever. A lot has changed in the interim- I've had multiple successes with big game, my first coming with my bow, spot and stalk on desert mule deer not far from my hometown of Coolidge, Arizona. It was great to realize success on a deer hunt, but it just punctuated that lesson my grandfather taught me- though I enjoyed the experience and certainly enjoyed the venison, it hadn't changed how I felt about hunting or myself- truly the kill was unimportant in the grand scheme of things. My grandfather had passed before I took my first deer, and hunting, both yearly with my family and by myself, was one of the ways I remembered him and some of the best memories of my childhood.

I took my second deer, a Wyoming whitetail doe, just last year. This season, my first full year in Colorado, I had multiple hunts planned, and each one was a blast. I backpacked above treeline for seven full days in the mountains of southwestern Colorado, chasing deer and elk with my muzzle loader. Never have I had a more magnificent or grandiose backdrop to a hunt, the amazing and rugged Rocky Mountains framed by golden aspens.

I didn't take an animal on this hunt- I put two stalks on wary mountain bucks, and had one of my most amazing experiences somehow, against all odds, crawling within range (150 yards) of a herd of some 100+ elk above treeline, but never took a shot. I was within range of a nice 5x5, but the herd bull, a truly gigantic 6x6 was just out of range and I wanted to be patient and see if he would present an opportunity (plus I didn't really want to pack a smaller bull out of the back country, six miles back in rugged terrain by myself). That wary old herd bull never came down to where the rest of his herd was, instead choosing to sit on top of the hill and watch over his many cows and satellite bulls. I made a move as the sun set, but to no avail. Still, that hunt was incredible, and being in the middle of a herd of that size, multiple bulls screaming their heads off all around me in some of the prettiest country on earth, will not ever be forgotten. I remember thinking how happy my grandfather would have been to hear about that hunt and what an amazing time I'd had.

My next hunt this season took me to Wyoming, where I had both a deer and and antelope tag. I wrote extensively about this in another thread, so won't go into details here, but I filled both tags. I took my largest buck to date, small by many standards but perfect in my eyes, a pretty 4x4 mule deer. I then took my first ever antelope, a wonderful representative buck. And most importantly, had a great time hunting with great friends.

However, by far my most anticipated hunt of the season was returning to my home state of Arizona, chasing the deer I had grown up on. The first part of the hunt would be with my two uncles, doing our normal routine of going up on Thursday and hunting together Friday through Sunday. This year, however, I'd invited a good friend and hunting partner of mine that I had made through work to join me for the second part of the hunt. Andy is an excellent hunter, far more experienced than me, and I reckoned even if I didn't take my first coues buck on my family hunt we could get it done with four days to hunt. We planned on driving in to a remote access spot and backpacking in even further to find unpressured deer and hopefully a couple bucks for us to kill.

My family hunt came and went in a flash. It was my most anticipated weekend of the season and it didn't disappoint. The mountains and hills of Arizona hold a special place in my heart, and nothing, not even the grandiose Rocky Mountains can ever replace the terrain I grew up hunting deer with my family in. The colors of fall were amazing, oranges, reds, and yellows in the creek bottom creating an amazing scene in the canyon we camped in. It did not take long to have my first coues encounter, either.

We were pretty disorganized, and as a result didn't get camp set up until around 0200 Friday morning. As a result we slept in until almost 0830, neither by purpose or by accident. My uncle was the first to awaken. Literally still in his bed in our shared tent, zipped up in his sleeping bag, he opened the tent door and stared at the hill behind our camp.

"Colton, get up, there's two deer on that hill right there, both bucks."

"What? You're kidding me. Where?"

"Moving left to right next to that big green mesquite."

And so began a mad scramble to stealthily, yet quickly, get out of the tent and onto the two bucks that had wandered into shooting range on opening morning, that my uncle had somehow, by some fluke, spotted as they moved across the hill less than 100 yards from camp. A part of me thought I might still be dreaming.

I walked over to my jeep in the direction of the deer, in my underwear.

"Don't open your jeep, you'll scare them."

"That's where my gun is!" I whisper-shouted back.

"I saw two bucks, on of them I think is a good one, a 3x3, both have antlers."

And so there I sat in the dirt and leaves of camp, in my underwear, trying to spot the two bucks on the hill above. Thankfully no one wandered by, as the sight of three grown men in their underwear, rifles out, might be alarming to some.

We ended up going up the hill after them, having lost sight of them and unsure if they were even still there. In retrospect I should have just set up on my tripod and glassed, but we had no clue if they were still in the same zip code. As I approached the last location, a quick glass revealed nothing, but two more steps and both bucks busted. I never had a shot, but was able to tell that the larger of the two was indeed a nice 3x3 as he ran away from me back-lit by the sun.

After that wild experience, the next few days produced a lot of does but no bucks. Regardless, this was the vacation I needed. Nothing melts worries and stresses like time spent with family outdoors, and always on my mind during this trip was the many amazing experiences and stories I had of hunting with my grandfather. No shots were fired, but this weekend lived up to my expectations fully. (Taco night and steak night weren't too shabby either).

The family jeep:

Next, I drove into our chosen backpacking access in the dark and met Andy. Monday morning we glassed the hills around and turned up a plethora of deer, and multiple bucks, none of them large but tempting still as neither of us had taken a coues. We elected to hold off on the two spikes/tiny forked bucks we found and instead proceed with the game plan to backpack in fully. My pack was heavy but compared to carrying the same weight two months earlier at 12,000 feet the walk in wasn't terrible. Our creekbed cliffed out and we ended up going up a different finger than we planned. This proved to be a blessing in disguise, as we topped to finger and tried to stay hidden we immediately started finding deer. Not an hour into our glassing session, Andy had his eyes on a group of does and excitedly told me,

"There's two more deer just to the left near that juniper, both have antlers!"

My 15s were already set up on their tripod, so I swiveled over.

"Holy crap, that buck in the shade of the juniper is an absolute dandy. "

That was all we needed to know. We were around 450 yards away but wanted to close the distance. Our finger was decently wide and grassy and extended further out towards the ridge they were on, so we belly-crawled towards them. My stomach dropped a bit when Andy told me,

"They're running. Must have got out wind. Well, trotting."

Thankfully they settled down and fed again. We cut the distance to about 375 from their new position, having difficulty finding spots where our bipods would clear the tall grass. Eventually we did, and I was able to determine the bigger of the two bucks was the most uphill. Andy and I decided to both shoot at this buck, as he was clearly the larger of the two and we didn't want to chance him getting away. Both of us were comfortable at this range and had spent extensive time with our rifles. We counted to three and both fired. I was able to find the buck again in my scope and saw as he ran, clearly hurting, uphill less than 25 yards and fell over beneath another juniper. I excitedly exclaimed,

"He's down, we got him!"

Having not seen him fall, Andy was skeptical, but I knew our trek down and back up would end with a downed deer. Sure enough, he was right where I though he was. The buck turned out to be a 3x3 with good eye-guards and a little nub on the left side where he was trying to grow a fourth point. There was only one vital hit on the buck, a perfect shot that took out the top of the heart and a lung. After extensive examination I concluded he was Andy's to tag. He was shooting a .300 win mag with barnes LRX. I was shooting my .25-06 with 115 VLDs. The size of the entry hole, and lack of jacket fragments in any of the wound cavity were enough for me. Still, I was ecstatic to have been part of the hunt for a really nice, mature coues, and was happy for my hunting partner to have taken such a great deer on his first coues hunt.

We had to go back up to the ridge where we shot from to get our packs. Once there, we took a few moments to glass as it was prime time. Andy turned up a decent 2x3 with eyeguards two ridges over, as well as a smaller 2x2 with eyeguards just on the other face of the ridge we had taken that 3x3 off of. The shot would've been just a bit far and with the allure of a better buck we could hopefully get back on in the morning so I elected to pass. So we journeyed back down our ridge and up to where the buck lay as the sun set. We cleaned and caped him by headlamp, where I had quite the fright as marauding little striped skunks convinced me we were under attack from a mountain lion. After a bit of conversation regarding game plan, we elected to hang the deer by a nearby juniper, hike up the ridge, find a camping spot, and glass the next morning. Thankfully, it was unseasonably cold late in the hunt, and the daytime high was going to be in the 60s with an overnight low freezing at our elevation. He would hang perfectly.

We were downright exhausted after the early start glassing, long pack in, multiple trips up and down the ridges, and extensive time spent cleaning and caping. We trudged up the ridge, set up our tents, downed a few mountain houses, and went to bed. The wind overnight was atrocious, the temperature cold, and despite my 15 degree down bag I was barely comfortable in my tent. I did wake up before the sun rose, but figured with the tiny sliver of moon overnight, cold temperatures, and persistent wind, the deer would be even less gung-ho about getting up early than I was. Perhaps this delusion was simply a defense mechanism as my brain tricked me to stay in bed to avoid sure hypothermia, frostbite, and death, but regardless I slept in. I was in a state of semi-consciousness as I heard a voice tell me

"I've got that 2x3 spotted in shooting range if you want to get up and come shoot him."

It was Andy, the intrepid hunter who had selflessly taken one for the team, awoken at the appropriate time for a serious hunter (which I have never claimed to be), braved near-arctic conditions, and spotted the 2x3 we had seen as the light waned the day prior. What a pal.

I figured I could be bothered to walk 50-100 yards to shoot a buck, so dressed quickly and made sure there were four rounds in my rifle's blind magazine.

"Might want to take your optics, just in case you decide not to shoot him."

"Andy, I don't think there's a chance in the world I'm not shooting a 2x3 with eyeguards within shooting range, sounds pretty ideal to me." (I did take my optics though).

It was a short walk up to the top of the spine of the ridge, where Andy was set up. He found the feeding buck within a minute. One look at him was all I needed, he was a fine buck, a heck of a first coues.

I set up the bipod and got comfy behind my rifle as Andy ranged him.

"325 yards."

I was steady as a rock and had this deer dead to rights. I was focused, calm. The cross-hairs rested just behind his shoulder as I squeezed the trigger.

BOO-WHAP

"Missed I think. Right of him off his brisket and high."

I was flabbergasted. I had shot sub 0.75 MOA groups out to 300 yards with ease from this exact shooting position just a week earlier. I should have been dialed in. There was no wind. Thankfully the buck, confused, turned around and walked just a few yards up the side of the ridge.

BOO-WHAP

"Missed again. Same Spot. Aim for his butt."

"His butt?"

"Yeah, his butt."

"OK."

I was confused. Just a month earlier I had taken a deer and an antelope with one shot apiece, the antelope at this exact range. In the back of my head, I knew my rifle had taken a small spill, albeit from less than tripod height and pretty gentle, onto the sunshade of my riflescope just the day before. I had also been riding around in my family's jeep on bumpy roads for three days, but I didn't think either of those events had produced enough shock to alter my point of impact on my vortex viper HS. Normally, I would've shot the rifle again after the fall onto the sunshade, but we were deep in coues country and it was just hours later so I hadn't had the chance to even think of it.

I trusted Andy as a spotter, so aimed for the very confused buck's hindquarter and touched off a shot.

"He ran out of sight but there was blood behind his shoulder, maybe a little far back but it looked good."

We watched the patch of manzanita the buck had disappeared behind but he never came back out. Andy stayed behind to guide me to where the buck had disappeared as I went around the top of the creek bottom that separated the two ridges. Andy guided me to where the buck had disappeared, but he was not there. I did, however, quickly find a drop of blood. The trail was sparse at first, but within a few yards the buck was dumping blood. I knew I had him. He had taken a death run about fifty yards downhill, and was wrapped up in a bush.

I was ecstatic. The buck was not a trophy by most standards, but certainly a beautiful deer, and my first coues. The shot ended up being perfect, just behind his shoulder, double lunging him. As I waited for Andy to reach me, I admired this amazing creature. Delicate and dainty by most standards, these coues deer always wow me with their ability to survive in the harsh Sonoran Desert. A perfect miniature whitetail.

I thought of my grandfather, and wished he had been there with me. I thought of a story he'd told me, of a little weathered man he'd met down south near the border with a tiny spike hanging in his tree. He'd told me when he met that man he'd been beaming. He'd hunted coues for many years and that was his first buck, It was a trophy in his eyes.

I looked at my buck. I couldn't have been happier with him, he was gorgeous. I decided to cape him. I wasn't certain I was going to have him mounted, but I wanted the option.

Andy and I cleaned him and I packed him back to camp. We walked down the other side of our ridge and picked up Andy's deer and packed up camp. We ended up deciding to pack everything out in one go to avoid multiple trips. Thankfully we were just two miles back, but my wiry (that's being polite) self isn't made for carrying a 100 lb pack down and up out of a place like that. (Note to self: get a smaller tripod and lighter head).

Despite the torture, we made it back to our vehicles with daylight to spare. I was incredibly grateful for the amazing hunt with a good friend and my first coues. We ended up taking two nice bucks in less than two days, just 14 hours apart.

My family was excited by the news. I spent the next two days I had planned on hunting visiting my grandmother and mom, and then pointed the jeep north back to Colorado. A spectacular AZ sunset reminded me of how much I love Arizona, and no love affair with Colorado will ever change that.

I took it easy heading back, stopping overnight in Albuquerque. As I finally reached home in Colorado Springs and dropped my meat off at the processor, I pondered what to do with my cape. I thought of all those years spent chasing deer with my grandpa and uncles. I though of the lessons I'd learned and the stories we shared. And then I realized it didn't matter what my deer scored, whether he was a trophy by general standards or not. What matters is that every time I look at this deer I will remember those times in deer camp, those treasured memories, the excitement of turning the calendar getting ever closer to that November weekend, and an amazing hunt spent with friends and family. I'll think of my grandfather, an excellent hunter in his own right, and I'll think of that man with the spike he met down south, how he was beaming, and I know I'll smile in much the same way.

Screw it, I thought, this one's going on the wall.

]]>83232Sun, 02 Dec 2018 20:50:59 +0000Introhttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/84730-intro/
Hey guys, didn't see a introduction thread. figured id introduce myself. My name is corey and I'm from Oregon. Came across this forum while doing some E-scouting for my first deer trip to AZ thats in december.
]]>84730Tue, 26 Feb 2019 01:46:41 +0000You be the judgehttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/36422-you-be-the-judge/Hunting in 36b over the weekend my hunting crew got closer to these guys than my comfort level allowed. You be the Judge on what they are up to. They were 3/4 of mile past the border in some of the pictures and a Just on the other side in the others. Its an interesting but likely overly dramatic (on my part) story that I will tell over beer

Is anyone else having issues applying for hunts this year? I can't even get into the system without errors. I tried on my phone and computer with similar problems. I've sent an email to AZGFD but just wanna see if I'm alone. I type this for you procrastinators...Don't wait!

]]>83270Wed, 05 Dec 2018 03:02:24 +0000Midwesterner Heading SWhttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/70999-midwesterner-heading-sw/Tomorrow at this time I'll be in the air leaving the deep freezer on my way to the sun. My buddies here look at me funny when I talk about hunting coues deer. I guess that's good as we don't want the word to get out! I grew up in the midwest but I was always fascinated with the desert and the critters that live there so that's part of the appeal. Back in the 1990's we planned a one time trip to the Wilcox area for mule deer, but the first time I saw a coues that's when I knew they were special and I wanted one. I got another chance to hunt them 2 years ago and actually missed a nice buck. I'm still learning the ways of these grey ghosts and to make it extra challenging I hunt exclusively with a recurve bow. The biggest challenge with that is figuring out where to hunt them, because most of the places I've seen are not very conductive to getting withing 30 yards of these deer. So if you have any tips on that let me know. Seems to me higher in elevation is better so I'll be packing a tree stand and a decoy and headed to the Santa Ritas. I also have a javi tag too so I might be exploring some new territory too. They are another critter on my life list.

I'm also looking forward to the food, especially Sonoran dogs. You guys out there are probably laughing but those hot dogs are the bomb, and I grew up in Chicago! If you drive one of those food trucks up here you'll make a killing. Hopefully Ruiz on 6 ave and 22 st in Tuscon is open on Saturdays as I will be stopping on my way thru.

I'll report back here on my adventures since you guys are the only ones who understand. Don't worry your secret is safe with me .

]]>70999Fri, 13 Jan 2017 17:08:41 +0000December Rifle Triphttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83964-december-rifle-trip/
When the deer draw results came out I was super excited to see I was able to draw a 36c late rifle hunt with my dad, tag 124 and 125 out of 125 permits! We have been in this unit many times in the past and have seen great deer. A little pre-season scouting turned up some bucks. Including a group of 7 bucks in a small rolling canyon that is hard to glass and gets overlooked by most over the years. We chose this to be our opening day starting point, which turned out to be the perfect plan. On opening day before even legal shooting light I was able to glass up deer across the small canyon and as light approached I could tell it was one of the nice 3x3s that we had encountered on our scouting trip. Once it was light enough to shoot my dad was able to drop his buck in its tracks at just under 200 yards on his second shot after narrowly missing just over the deer on the first shot and having it come 50 or so yards closer (he has done this several times over the years and calls it the “Alan method”). After several more days of hunting and many many days passing deer and a few really large deer narrowly avoiding getting shot at, me and my dad headed back to where he was able to get his shot. Almost in the exact same manner I was able to glass up another buck standing no more than 20 yards from where my dad’s buck had been. I wasn’t sure if I was quite done having the fun of chasing these little guys around but the buck just presented too good of a target to pass. After one shot he crumpled up without taking another step.

]]>83964Fri, 11 Jan 2019 18:45:32 +0000First time hunter, and a Coues first timerhttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83849-first-time-hunter-and-a-coues-first-timer/
Got to talking about hunting with my brother in law at Christmas this year, and he mentioned he really wants to start hunting but doesn't know anyone to go with. Asked if I would be interested in an AZ Coues hunt. Obviously I said yes.

So we are putting in for rifle tags this year. I told him all he needs are good boots, a pack, and a rifle(helping him buy his first shortly) and I'll bring everything else.

The one thing I can't bring is any Coues deer hunting knowledge. I've been reading on here, Gohunt, and any other forums, blogs and whatever trying to learn what I can.

Any suggestions on unit? We are planning on backpacking in to get away from the crowds if possible.

I know that's the worst thing to ask. I am more than willing to trade any Utah hunting info I can, elk, deer, ect. Thanks in advance. This site has been a huge help so far.

]]>83849Sun, 06 Jan 2019 06:46:06 +0000Shot a buckhttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83373-shot-a-buck/
Left home at 6am, got to the spot late. glass up deer on the furthest steepest mountain and they’re at the top like bighorns. Couldn’t see antlers with 15s from there, but one was raking a tree and looked like a bigger bodied deer so we had to get closer and see. We worked to a ridge 550 yards away. See a couple spikes, then my friend says there’s a little better one. Ok last day deer. Hit him a little back, but not bad for standing up using a tripod for the rest lol

]]>83373Mon, 10 Dec 2018 04:59:07 +0000My 2018 Coueshttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83543-my-2018-coues/So fun to hunt these beautiful Coues Whitetail. I passed on about 10 different back before deciding to take this beautiful deer. Not a big guy but like his shape and cemetery. 94 pounds field dressed, 4 x 4 with a little kicker and nice eyeguards. Thanks for the information and knowledge sharing by all who frequent this site. You all give not only useful information but a love for hunting as well.

]]>83543Thu, 20 Dec 2018 07:00:32 +0000Tagged my first coueshttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83539-tagged-my-first-coues/
Drew a unit 23 antlered whitetail tag for the late December hunt. I took a few days off of work and had my two closest buddies make the trip out to help me find a buck.

Friday produced nearly thirty deer, all does. Saturday afternoon at 1pm my buddies spotted a lone buck, the first we'd seen. Without knowing how big he was, I maneuvered in closer.

Taking a look for the bedded buck:

He stood after I began my stalk:

He finally came into view at around 430pm. Knowing I had my friends with me for only one more day, I decided to pull the trigger on the 3x3. One shot at 460yds did the trick.

The fun part:

]]>83539Thu, 20 Dec 2018 02:52:10 +0000GMU 24B and Reavis Ranch??https://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83208-gmu-24b-and-reavis-ranch/
Hi all. Been several years since posting as I PCS'd from AZ in 2015. I've packed-in archery hunted in the SW/24B solo and with a couple of buddies betw/2013-2015. We decided our pack hunt for 2018 would be the rut hunt in Jan 2019 and looking to return to this unit or maybe 22 for a 7 day pack in hunt.

In previous hunts, I had always planned to check out Reavis Ranch, but we were in deer without having to hike 7-10 miles. Have read articles and posts in other forums that say it's covered up in deer but difficult terrain and less spotting opportunities due to relatively thicker vegetation.

We're avid hunters, have packed in to places like AZ, CO, and ID and given the deer we were on in December hunts, very confident that we should have even more success during the January hunt. At least sightings anyway. Closing the deal on one of these Grey Ghosts is another story.

That said, based on my current research and personal experience, I'm soliciting feedback from folks experienced with 24B as well as 22. More specifically, Is Reavis Ranch worth the hike to use as a base camp and hunt in and around? Given a rut hunt in Jan, does the Ranch area get pressured pretty hard and will we be competing with other hunters? Anyone that may have experience with both 22 and 24B, do you have a preference or feeling of what you believe is a better deer hunt opportunity? I've never been in 22 so we would be starting from scratch rather than being able to start in areas from past experience.

As a side note, I found it odd in all past hunts combined, I only ran into one other hunter walking the trail during Thanksgiving weekend. Several hikers, but no more than one hunter. This included rifle hunters drawn for the Dec hunt time frame. Not sure if that's an indication of one, folks not wanting to put in the work to get into remote area; two, us being in an area that albeit we were in deer, was not an area that held larger numbers and quality...

Thanks in advance for anyone that can provide some insights.

]]>83208Sat, 01 Dec 2018 15:47:56 +0000Have you guys ever seen anything like this?https://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83134-have-you-guys-ever-seen-anything-like-this/
This is is the buck that my hunting partner killed with me this year. The taxidermist doing his euro mount discovered that the deer has upper canine teeth. I know that millions of years ago most ungulates did have tusks, and some species still do but i have never seen this in all of my life. Has anyone else seen this in a deer?

]]>83134Mon, 26 Nov 2018 23:50:39 +000024B Coues Whitetail Deer hunt 2018https://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/82984-24b-coues-whitetail-deer-hunt-2018/
I am new to 24B and I am looking for a few good spots to start. Would anybody like to share a spot to get me going?
]]>82984Mon, 19 Nov 2018 17:08:21 +000035 A camp spothttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/82574-35-a-camp-spot/
I always hunted 35b, I can find my spot in the middle of the night no problem there .. . But this year I drew a 35A leftover tag 11/9.....I was just wondering if someone could tell me where a good place to camp a pop-up trailer ,And don't say the Lake. . unless that's the only spot , "LOL" ....Im going to try and do some scouting in the next two weeks, But I' Been extremely Busy so I'm hoping … I'm pretty confident I could find Deer it's the camping spot I'm worried about , Any help would be Nice... Thx Brothers...
]]>82574Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:22:45 +0000Two of the best backpacking spotting scopeshttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83135-two-of-the-best-backpacking-spotting-scopes/
Minox 50 angled $125

leupold golden ring compact straight. $300 obo

located in Mesa both are in excellent condition pm me with questions.

]]>83135Tue, 27 Nov 2018 00:09:06 +0000Lost Itemshttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83131-lost-items/
Did anyone come across optics laying in the road in 6A during the Nov hunt?
]]>83131Mon, 26 Nov 2018 23:37:01 +0000How to price trophy coues deerhttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83049-how-to-price-trophy-coues-deer/
So I'm new to the forum and apologize if this is in the wrong section but I'm curious on how you go about pricing large TROPHY CLASS coues deer. This buck scores maybe around 129" and is just insane but i dont know where to start.

]]>83049Thu, 22 Nov 2018 16:28:39 +0000What weird stuff have you glassed or happen well glassing for game?https://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/14726-what-weird-stuff-have-you-glassed-or-happen-well-glassing-for-game/I have spent countless hours glassing for game or just sitting in a tree stand or a blind for 20 or so years ,I have seen elk mating , to a bear come right passed me glassing, well I was taking power nap and scared 2 days of food out of me .I glassed up a 2 poachers shooting a doe deer during archery season and used my spotting scope to get a license plate number and called game & fish 800 line and got a check in the mail 3 weeks later, that paid for my scouting trips. I have also glassed up hunters and hikers doing things that,I didn’t want to watch and some doing things that made it hard to not watch , I sure they had no idea , big brother was watching them high above, I was jst wondering ,if I’m the only one who see’s weird things out there and have had close calls with animals upfront during glassing times . I would like to hear, what else others have seen.]]>14726Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:13:49 +0000A Story of Firstshttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/83012-a-story-of-firsts/
I would first like to start off by thanking everybody for the wealth of knowledge that is shared on this site. I have been a member here for about a year and have just got around to posting my story. I read these forums daily as I have become completely obsessed with chasing the "little ghost" known as Coues Whitetail. I have become so invested in learning about and chasing these deer, sometimes my wife thinks I'm crazy. I have done hours upon hours of research to figure out an advantage, if any, over these sneaky critters. I have many more failures than I have had success in 3 years of hunting in Arizona, but have learned more than I could have ever imagined.

I have hunted almost every season since I was 11 years old, only missing seasons for being over seas. When I found out I was coming to Arizona I was thrilled to start a new chapter in my hunting career. I quickly found out that hunting in this state is like nothing I have ever done before in my life.

My first season was an OTC hunt in January. My game plan was to sit off of deer travel areas and hunt ambush style with my bow. At the time I was only confident out to 30-40 yards. I can say I busted more deer in that one season than I had ever before in my life. As the season went on, I was finally presented with a shot opportunity. I had a doe pass within 25 yards of me and had no idea I was there, following behind her was a nice 3x3. As the buck came into shooting distance I grunted with my mouth in order to stop him for a shot. Little did I know he wouldn't stop, but run completely out of the area. Completely confused, I searched for any video I could find on deer hunting in Arizona. That is when I learned about "glassing" for deer. I got myself a pair of 10s but lacked a tripod. I learned how to glass for deer by hand pretty quickly. As the season started to end I was presented with another shot this time at 50 yards. Needless to say I wasnt prepared and missed pretty badly. My first season in Arizona ended leaving a burning desire for success.

During the off season I shot hundreds of arrows to prepare myself for longer shot opportunities. I became confident out to 65 yards very consistently. My obsession was growing more and more every day leading up to the next OTC hunt in August. I spent days looking for spots to set up and hunt. I stumbled upon a secluded watering hole with very little access. There was tons of deer sign everywhere in the area so I knew it would produce. As the season opened I fully committed myself to sitting the water. I spent countless hours on water without even seeing a single deer. The season ended much quicker than I would have liked, but it only made me work harder. The next season passed with the same outcome as the 2 prior.

Fast forward to August/September 2017, I now am confident shooting well past 70 yards, I have a tripod and a pair of 15s, and have scouted and found bucks consistently. Opening day comes and I am not able to hunt because of work. The next day I'm out early and in my spot. Right after first light I glass up a group of bucks I have seen all summer long. I watched them and devised a plan to slip in within shooting range. I was able to stalk within 60 yards of the deer but was never presented a shot opportunity. My confidence is sky high at the point. A week goes by and have blown quite a few stalks. My wife being as great as she is wanted to come out and help me on my hunt. We were set up and in position to glass for the bucks I had seen numerous times at this point in the season. The words I SEE A BUCK!!! Coming out of my wife mouths filled me with excitement. We came up with a plan for her to keep an eye on the deer while I slipped into position. I got to 33 yards from this buck with only a tree separating him from me. As the buck walked out I was at full draw, I settled my pin and let my arrow fly. I heard a lot smack and the deer took off. After a few minutes passed I walked to where he was standing and found my arrow. My heart immediately sank as I didnt see a speck of blood on my arrow. Needless to say I missed. I took a long walk of shame back to where I had left my wife. We talked about what happened and I determined I rushed my shot. We got back on the glass. 15 minutes goes by and we see another group of bucks headed for an area where the wind and cover was in my advantage. I quickly got down and in front of where they were headed, a quick confirmation from my wife let me know they were still headed my way. I started ranging trees and found out the farthest shot I would have was 30 yards. No sooner did I clip my range finder to my harness the first buck stepped out right where I thought he would. He looked in my direction but I dont think he saw me. He put his head down and slowly started feeding, I slowly drew my bow and settled my pin, I verified my bubble was level and my pin was behind his shoulder. I sent my arrow flying hearing the solid thud of making contact. I watched as the buck ran 15 yards and fell over! I just harvested my first Coues, on the ground and with my bow. The amount of relief and pure joy that over came me was undescribable. He isnt the biggest buck in the world but he was my first spot and stalk deer in Arizona.

I continued to hunt the following seasons with my bow without firing a single shot. I decided I would try my hand at rifle hunting. I was fortunate enough to pick up a November leftover tag. I got myself a rifle and started practicing every chance I got. I was very confident in my shooting ability leading up to the season opener.

Opening day November 2018 has finally come. I found a good vantage point with plenty of deer activity. The canyon I was hunting in was much steeper than what I was used to bow hunting in. As the days of the season started to roll by, putting 15 hours a day in the mountains, a shot opportunity presented itself. A nice 3 point was feeding 400 yards across a small draw from where I was at. I ranged him at 410, and got myself set up for the shot. I plugged the numbers into my ballistic calculator and dialed my turret. I took my time and squeezed off a shot. I thought for sure I hit him good, but at the same time not sure if I had hit him at all. I worked my way to where he was and searched for blood, nothing. Completely beside myself I bailed off the mountain and headed straight to the range. I put paper at 100 yards only to find my zero had shifted 2 inches high and groups larger than an inch. At this point I realized I hadnt cleaned my rifle in a few range sessions, so I headed home, re-torqued all of my mounting screws to spec and cleaned my rifle. I took the afternoon off to let myself reset mentally. The next morning I was right back into the same canyon waiting for daylight. It was very still, with only the slightest breeze. As the sun started to rise I noticed 3 deer feeding. I immediately recognized 2 of the bucks from the morning before, I continued to search and eventually found the buck I had missed the morning before. He was about 300 yards above the other 2 smaller bucks. I ranged the bigger of the 2 smaller bucks at 297, he was slowly feeding on the hillside. I went through all of the same steps I had the morning prior. I watched him through the scope of my rifle waiting for him to stop, sure enough he did exactly that. I squeezed the shot and watched him drop, I racked another shell and kept my cross hairs on him, he stood back up slowly and I shot again, dropping him once more. I continued to watch him until he stopped moving completely. I called my wife to let her know what happened, she was excited and happy for me. I harvested my first rifle buck in Arizona, on day 4 of the season! Again not the biggest in the world but he is my first.

Once again I would like to thank everyone for sharing their knowledge and helping me learn and understand what it takes to hunt in this great state!

]]>83012Tue, 20 Nov 2018 15:09:56 +0000Finally...https://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/82530-finally/
I'm not as active as I used to be on CWT. But I still linger and have always had a tremendous amount of respect for what Amanda built from the beginning. So if I can contribute to her and the rest of you Coues deer fanatics I will!

I finally caught up with this buck after he eluded me last year. He's an old buck (and I'm not very smart) so I honestly couldn't be happier. It's always special when you can follow an animal this long. And for those who've done it, it can be very bitter/sweet also. I especially feel that way as I feel like I linger closer to my Coues deer hunting days being numbered.

Enjoy.

]]>82530Mon, 22 Oct 2018 21:00:58 +0000Need help for December 6B/8 Hunthttps://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/82979-need-help-for-december-6b8-hunt/
I have a mid to late December hunt for whitetail in 6B/8. I went scouting this weekend and did not see a single whitetail. We did see elk, turkey and mule deer. I started by coming in from Cottonwood and headed north to glass the Black Mountain and the the south side of Casner Mountain. Then went up the 89 through Sedona to get on top of the rim. I tried to glass a few area up there but had a hard time getting out of the pines to places I could glass.

Am I in the wrong places? I was going off of some suggestions I found online. I was thinking about taking quads and going to the top of Casner and follow the Casner Mountain trail. I have heard Sycamore canyon but where on sycamore? That thing is huge!